Amid rising cases of snatching in the Capital city, Bhubaneswar police has launched a WhatsApp number to receive information from the citizens on various street crimes. People can report or share information on crimes at WhatsApp number 7077798111, which will be operated by Special Squad officers in the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), here.
Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash said the citizens can report crimes like snatchings, eve-teasing, theft, suspicious movement of individuals, and others in the form of messages, pictures and videos through the WhatsApp number. If a victim is not able to visit a police station, he/she can reach out to the police on the WhatsApp number and the cops will collect the complaints from their residence.
“In some instances, people also spot snatchers while fleeing after committing the crime. They can click photographs or shoot videos of snatchers and send us. Their identity will not be revealed. Some citizens are also aware about the goons in their areas. They can also share information about them,” said the DCP.
The victims or locals can also share the CCTV footage of the crimes to the police on the WhatsApp number. This apart, a citizen can know about the status of his/her complaint related to property offences like theft or snatching of mobile phone, gold ornaments and other valuables by contacting the police on the same number.
“Citizens can contact us on the number if a police station is not receiving their complaint related to property offences,” said Dash. The Capital city has witnessed a rise in incidents of robbery in the last four years. About 193 incidents of robbery were reported in 2017, 194 in 2018, 266 in 2019 and 330 till November, 2020.
The police have also urged the citizens and private institutions to install high quality CCTV cameras on their premises so that the footage can help them to detect crimes taking place in the city. Last year, Commissionerate Police had launched an anti-extortion task force helpline number for the citizens.
